| Hydro Ax Makes Great Progress on SFTR |
Prelude:
As web master, I have been remiss in my duties of updating the site, and writing that article on the Hydro Ax project as I had promised. Its been about three months since the two Hydro Axes completed their rounds on the ranch. Three months seem like three lifetimes now in the “outside” world -- that world beyond the rutted dusty roads, far removed from cows that volunteer as landscapers, the world where shopping means more than a trip to Wally World. As I sit at my desk in the outside world, still working at 11pm, I wistfully think of how tree clearing was easier than what I have been doing lately. At least with a chain saw, when it ran out of gas....I quit. When it got dark....I quit. When the deer walked into my newly cleared area......I quit and shared the moment, cognizant of only the present, satisfied that the wildlife already approved of all the hard work.
I find it difficult to quit in the outside world. So needing an interlude of a mental vacation, I drift back to December and January when wood chips were flying, the air was sharp with pine and the usual quiet of the ranch was broken by the whirring of the Hydro Ax... |
I Can Now See My Forest Without Sooo Many Trees
by Kris Spinning
December and January, the Ranch was abuzz -- in more ways than one. It was the social event of the season, the topic of every mailbox conversation. After a tremendous effort of FHWFMC members to organize, schedule and coordinate all the interested property owners, we were able to get Bill Schultz, and his company, Open Range, to bring two Hydro Ax machines to the ranch. As work progressed from one property to the next, so did the follow along party atmosphere as other property owners stopped by to see the work. Some with anxious anticipation of what would soon be done on their property, others critically evaluating the work to determine if they wanted to hire Bill as well. At the start of the coordination effort, we were struggling to get at least 100 hours of running time committed. The timing, right around the holidays, was difficult and many people thought they would only want the minimum three hours. Soon, however, the schedule ballooned to 160 hours, then 200, and finally reached 251 hours of actual hydro axing time.
Bill and his crew worked with property owners to develop defensible space, clear trails, open up views and improve wild life habitat. Each property had different needs and presented different challenges. What was consistent however is that once they got started, everyone wanted more, and more and more. At first most people were timid as the massive mulching seemed a little extreme, but as some trees disappeared and the remaining trees became visible, everyone wanted to push further and further into their forest. The Withingtons were so enthralled with the work, they practically developed a shaded fuel break across their two properties! By the time Bill had to pull out to move on to another contract, thirty two properties were treated with most properties having between 3 and 10 acres thinned. A total of between 200 and 250 total acres throughout SFTR were fire mitigated.
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After two summers of hand cutting, I had not made much progress, and had large slash piles to deal with.
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| Eighteen properties qualified for Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) cost share reimbursement. The criteria for participating in cost share was the project must be designed to create defensible space around a home. District Forester CK Morey evaluated projects and helped property owners plan the defensible space unique for their individual property. The CWPP highly recommends creating defensible space around all the homes on the ranch, so it was really exciting to see so much progress on that happening prior to the CWPP even being adopted. The hydro ax is not a magic bullet for fire mitigation. There is plenty of work to do afterwards from cleaning up debris to limbing up the remaining trees. However at this point, it seems to be the most cost effective and time efficient method of forest thinning around homes. |
Though a lot of acres were thinned, and 32 properties were transformed, we still have a long way to go. When first conceived, we didn’t even know if it was feasible to coordinate properties and contractors to get the work done. A hydro ax is not a piece of equipment that you can just go down to the rental store and pick up, nor is it something you can hire for a day or two. These initial trail blazers took the chance of signing on, and amiably worked with the ever changing schedule. We are grateful to Bill Shultz for his willingness to work with us. From the enthusiasm of the participants, and the comments from other property owners who have been touring the sites, there is plenty of interest in doing this again next year. I know I'll be signing up again. In 10 hours it accomplished what I couldn't do even if I spent ten years.
Are you interested in being part of the next hydro ax project? Contact any FHWMC member and let them know. We need to have at least 100 hours committed to get Bill back (those machines are expensive to move). The Committee also NEEDS YOU! It takes a lot of work to make these projects happen, but it is also a lot of fun, and a great way to participate in our community.
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This fir tree had gone unnoticed because of the density pinon and oak surrounding it. Now a little space really shows off its beautiful conical form.
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| "After Shots"
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A light snow fell after the hydro ax finished at my property.
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| Submit your project photos - before and after shots, wildlife, new views, document the emergence of grasses and wild flowers. E-mail Kris |
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